Starmer sparks fuel duty rise fears as post-Brexit UK-EU ‘reset’ talks continue with Macron in France – live

Germany’s ambassador to the UK has said an agreement with the European Union on youth mobility “should be in the British interest”.

Miguel Berger told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “There are many misunderstandings about what youth mobility really means. It is not freedom of movement, it has nothing to do with migration.

“It means that young people, who are really those who have most lost because of Brexit, that they have the possibility to come to the European Union, to come to the United Kingdom, for a limited amount of time, and then they will leave.

“So, it’s enhancing the possibilities for young people. That’s what we want. And it’s not only Germany, I can tell you all the 27 in the European Union want to enhance that.”

Mr Berger went on: “Youth mobility should also be in the British interest. Young people from this country might want to live for a year in Berlin or in Madrid or in Paris, and the youth mobility scheme would open that possibility.

“I think we all could gain, for example, by a veterinary agreement, which would reduce prices in the supermarket.”

A dedicated team tasked with speeding up the delivery of housing has been established by the government, as part of its commitment to overhaul the planning system and build 1.5 million homes.

The New Homes Accelerator will “support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground”, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said, ahead of its launch today.

As part of the scheme, planning experts will be deployed to potential housing sites to work through blockages and local issues.

There are 200 sites across England with outline or detailed planning permission for up to 300,000 new homes, which are yet to be built, according to Government analysis.

Ms Rayner said: “For far too long, the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes has been held back by a failure to make sure the development system is working as it should.

“This government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won’t hesitate to intervene where we need to.

“Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.”

The government is calling on landowners, local authorities and housebuilders to come forward with details of blocked sites that have significant planning issues, so it can tackle the obstacles that are preventing the delivery of new homes.

more than 10,000 homes could be built at three “stalled sites” – Stretton Hall in Leicestershire, Tendring in Essex, and Biggleswade Garden Community in Central Bedfordshire – as part of the team’s plans.

Sir Keir Starmer will continue efforts to build bridges with European leaders as he holds talks with French President Emmanuel Macron today.

The prime minister travelled from Berlin to Paris as he undertakes two days of meetings designed to show the UK wants to “reset” its relationship with the European Union following years of Brexit troubles.

Sir Keir and Mr Macron were among the audience at the Paralympic Games opening ceremony on Wednesday evening.

A breakfast meeting with French business leaders is scheduled for Sir Keir, and a summit with Mr Macron at the Elysee Palace.

On the first leg of his trip, Sir Keir said he was not “reversing Brexit” as he set out plans for a new treaty with Germany – including “deeper links” in several areas.

He agreed that a deal with Germany would be in place by the end of the year following talks with counterpart Olaf Scholz, and also noted it was a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity.

The two countries also agreed to develop a “joint action plan to tackle illegal migration”.

Although they wouldn’t admit it, the model for the PM and his chancellor is less Tony Blair and Gordon Brown – and more David Cameron and George Osborne, writes Andrew Grice:

Sir Keir Starmer has sparked concerns after refusing to rule out a potential rise in fuel duty in the upcoming autumn Budget.

In a speech delivered in Downing Street’s rose garden, the prime minister acknowledged that the Budget, set for 30 October, would be “painful”, but he stressed that short-term sacrifices are necessary for long-term benefits.

Despite reiterating his manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, National Insurance, or VAT, the prime minister remained noncommital on fuel duty, marking the first potential rise since 2010.

Sir Keir refused to “speculate” on Budget specifics but affirmed his commitment to driving economic growth without relying solely on “tax and spend” measures.

This has sparked concern, with RAC’s head of policy Simon Williams noting that the 5p fuel duty discount, which costs £2billion, had not been fully passed on to consumers.

Mr William suggested that any increase would exacerbate the already heavy burden on drivers.

He said: “We’d normally be against any increase in duty, but we’ve long been saying drivers haven’t been benefiting from the current discount due to much higher-than-average retailer margins.”

Keir Starmer has warned that Labour’s first autumn Budget will be “painful” in his first keynote address from No 10, prompting fears of that unpopular tax rises will be amongst the announcements.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already confirmed that her statement will bring fresh tax rises as she says more needs to be done to fill the government’s shortfall in public finances. This reasoning was repeated by the prime minister as he reiterated the need to plug the £22bn spending gap that was “hidden” by the previous conservative government.

With it now confirmed that the government will look to new ways to raise revenue, here are some of the key measures they could implement in the October Budget:

Sir Keir Starmer has held a press conference with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz following their bilateral meeting to discuss a post-Brexit deal between both countries. Here are the key takeaways:

• The prime minister said a new defence agreement is “at the heart” of the UK’s relationship with Germany.
• He defined the new agreement “a testament to the depth and potential of our relationship with deeper links on science, technology, development, people, business, culture, a boost to our trading relations”.
• Sir Keir insisted “we will not reverse Brexit” but he will seek closer ties with Europe.
• The PM and Mr Scholz have agreed to develop a “joint action plan to tackle illegal migration”
• He also said that “we do not have plans for a youth mobility scheme”.
• Sir Keir said he hopes the UK’s treaty with Germany will be agreed before the end of the year as he hailed a “bright new future for UK-German relations”.

The public is divided over whether the Government is doing a good job when dealing with trade unions to prevent disruption to public services, a poll suggests.

The research by Ipsos found 32 per cent of people back the government’s approach to pay claims, but just under a quarter (23 per cent) said the government is doing a bad job in this regard; 30 per cent were non-committal.

The public is also split on whether Labour is doing a better job in trade union negotiations than the previous Conservative government, with 35 per cent saying they preferred the current administration’s approach and 37 per cent believing there has been no change in effectiveness since the General Election.

However, only 16 per cent said Labour’s approach is worse than the previous government’s.

Half of people polled said they are confident that Labour will take the right decisions to resolve industrial action within the healthcare sector specifically, but 43 per cent are either not very confident or have no confidence this will be the case.

Meanwhile, 53 per cent said they either have little or no confidence in the Government to deliver on its pledge to create 40,000 NHS appointments per week.

The findings come amid ongoing pessimism about the state of the NHS, with 54 per cent believing it is heading in the wrong direction and only 22 per cent saying it is heading in the right direction.

Liz Truss secretly mocked Rishi Sunak as “Russhi Sunak”, accusing him of not doing enough to oppose Vladimir Putin in respect of the war on Ukraine.

New details of her alleged “intense personal dislike” of Mr Sunak are disclosed in a new book, Truss at 10, by Sir Anthony Seldon.

According to Sir Anthony, Ms Truss believed Mr Sunak was guilty of “screwing” her, with “vicious attacks” on her by his team, before she defeated him to become prime minister.

He describes how Ms Truss exacted petty revenge on Mr Sunak in her moment of triumph at a Conservative rally in September 2022.

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